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Adoption Assistance for Children Adopted From Foster Care: State Adoption Assistance

This information was taken directly from Child Welfare Information Gateway

State Adoption Assistance

State adoption assistance programs provide assistance for children with special needs who are not eligible under the Federal IV-E adoption assistance program. This assistance is funded by State and/or county dollars and is designed for children who are neither TANF- nor SSI-eligible prior to adoption.4 Eligibility criteria for these programs vary by State, but State adoption assistance programs generally fall into three categories:

Medical assistance covers some or all of the costs related to a child’s specific medical condition that are not covered by the family’s health insurance, as well as associated therapy, rehabilitation, and special education. (Most States call this type of assistance Medicaid.)

Direct payment assistance refers to direct payments to the adoptive family in order to help meet the special physical, mental, or emotional needs of the child.

Supplemental adoption assistance varies greatly by State. Some States cover a child’s emergency or extraordinary need; less often, assistance consists of repeated payments for services not covered by the medical or direct payments. Each State determines what is an allowable cost. Some States make this available for months, others for 6 months, while still others provide one-time coverage for a specific service.

Information Gateway’s website can help you find adoption assistance by State through its annually updated database: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/adopt_assistance

Eligibility for State Adoption Assistance and Other Assistance

States sometimes consider the prospective adoptive family’s income and resources to determine if the family meets State eligibility requirements, which vary but are linked to:


Continue to Adoption Assistance for Children Adopted From Foster Care: Arranging Adoption Assistance

Return to Affording Adoption

Citations

4 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) replaced Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC).


References

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2011). Employer-provided adoption benefits.’' Washington DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.